loofah – Not a sponge but a dried tropical fruit used as a sponge. More…
sponge bath – An all-over washing of the body with a sponge or washcloth instead of taking a bath or shower. More…
bibulous – First meant “absorbent, like a sponge,” and later figuratively meant “addicted to alcohol.” More…
sponge – From Latin spongia, and Greek sphoggos, “water growth.” More…
drawing the nail – Means absolving oneself of a vow. More…
votal – Means “associated with or having the nature of a vow.” More…
vote – From Latin votum, “vow, wish,” which was its original meaning in English. The word had a number of meanings—now obsolete—before it took on the sense (in the 15th century) of “a formal expression of one’s opinion or approval or disapproval of a matter, especially a candidate, motion, or proposal.” More…
catalytic converter – A device with a catalyst for converting pollutant gases into less harmful ones. More…
allergen – Though allergens are not harmful themselves, when they are combined with certain antibodies, a reaction (i.e. the allergy) liberates substances that damage body cells and tissues. More…
intrigant – A person who plots something illicit or harmful. More…
nocuous – Meaning “harmful, noxious,” it is based on Latin nocere, “to hurt.” More…
pendant – A light fixture suspended from a ceiling, or the hanging part of an earring. More…
append – Originally meant “hang on” or “attach as a pendant.” More…
pendant, pendent – Pendant is the noun; pendent is the adjective—meaning “hanging, suspended.” More…
pennant – A blend of pendant and pennon, a banner or flag. More…
agile – Means having quick motion and being nimble, from Latin agere, “to do.” More…
flippant – Once meant “flexible, nimble, pliant.” More…
chopsticks – In Chinese, the word for chopsticks originally meant “quick sticks” or “nimble ones.” More…
wieldy – Means “easily controlled or handled,” and once meant “agile, nimble.” More…
crenelation, crenelle – A crenelation (from Latin crena, “notch”) is a series of indentations or loopholes around the top of a castle, battlement, or wall—with each indentation being a crenelle (or crenel). More…
carf, kerf – A cut or notch in timber is a carf or kerf—which are also used to describe the width of such a cut. More…
dent – As in “notch,” it comes from the French word for tooth; its original meaning was “blow, stroke” in general. More…
score – First a notch used to keep count, as on a stick. More…
found poem – A passage within prose that unintentionally reads like poetry. More…
stich – A line of poetry. More…
free verse – Poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular meter. More…
metrophobia – The fear of poetry. More…
allograph – A signature or writing done for another person. More…
moniker – Originally meant a mark left by a tramp on a building or fence to indicate he/she had been there; therefore, a tramp’s moniker identified him/her like a signature. More…
signature block – The typed or printed name and title of a person appearing below a signature at the bottom of a letter, e-mail, etc. More…
paraph – As a verb, to divide into paragraphs; the noun can mean a flourish made after a signature, especially to make it unique. More…
insult – In medicine and science, it can mean “trauma, something that disturbs normal functions.” More…
political correctness – Can be an insult, accusation, joke, or the name of an effort to change a society by means of wide-ranging but often small-scale cultural reform. More…
outrage – The true etymology of outrage has nothing to do with out or rage—rather, it is a borrowing from French outrage, “insult, outrage,” based on Latin ultra, “beyond,” and -agium, a noun suffix; outrage first meant “lack of moderation.” More…
umbrage – From Latin umbra, “shadow,” in English it originally meant “shade, shadow,” then shadowy suspicion, and then displeasure or resentment at a slight or insult. More…
consensus – Came into English in a physiological sense, meaning “a set of organs” or the “involuntary or reflex actions of the nervous system.” More…
homogenous – Can refer to genetically related tissue or organs. More…
lung – Goes back to an Indo-European word for “light,” because of the lightness of the organ. More…
sensorium – The seat of common sense, the center of the brain to which sense impressions are transmitted by the nerves from the organs. More…